BOCA RATON – Making his first Division I start, FAU pitcher Jake Miednik stymied Monmouth for six innings and a four-run second inning gave the Owls all the runs they would need in a 6-1 victory.
Miednik didn’t allow a base runner until the fifth inning, when Tom Jakubowski’s one hopper bounded off the diving Esteban Puerta’s glove at first base for a double. The junior left-hander stuck out eight while surrendering only three hits and two walks.
“I was just happy to get my first start in an FAU uniform,” said Miednik, a transfer from Walters St. CC. “The game plan was work on more fastball command throughout the week. I thought I executed that action pretty well.”
The only run charged to Miednik was unearned. Tyler Frank dropped Clay Koniencki’s foul pop-up to start the seventh. Koniencki would reach via a walk, advance to third on consecutive singles and score when Pedro Pages was called for catcher’s interference.
At that point, FAU coach John McCormack pulled Miednik for a reliever.
“I probably made a coaching mistake,” McCormack said. “He talked us into letting him go back out [for the seventh inning]. I thought (Miednik’s) stuff in the fifth took a little bit of a downturn and then in the sixth he was really good – a quick inning.”
Entering with the bases loaded and no outs, right-handed sidearm slinger Drew Peden struck out Pete Papcun on three consecutive 69 MPH frisbee sliders. Eric Keating then relieved Peden and induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
“The relief pitching was fabulous,” McCormack said.
Frank enjoyed his second multi-hit game in as many outings, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.
One day after being hit in the head with a pitch, FAU catcher Kevin Abraham attended the game in street clothes. An X-ray showed that Abraham sustained a fractured cheek bone. Doctors want to wait until the the swelling subsides before deciding whether Abraham will require surgery.
Abraham missed all of last season as he underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. There is no time frame yet for his return this season.
Pages, a freshman, drew the start behind the plate on Saturday, going hitless in three at-bats with a walk. He threw out the only runner who tried to steal.
GameBrowser: FAU (2-0) 6, Monmouth (0-2) 1
Moving Forward: FAU’s bullpen enjoyed a fantastic outing. Peden, Keating and Kyle Marman combined for three scoreless innings. Four of the nine outs the trio recorded came via a strikeout. Two more came on the clutch bases-loaded double play induced by Keating. …Freshmen Gary Mattis and Eric Rivera both recorded their first hits as an Owl. Batting in the eighth and ninth positions, the duo combined to go 2-for-6, scoring four runs and driving in two. …Jared Shouppe officially went 1-for-1 with an RBI, but he also reached base twice via walks and another time after being hit by a pitch.
Sliding Backward: Stephen Kerr went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. …Austin Langham went hitless in three at-bats and was hit by a pitch.
Key Stat: 12 – strikeouts recorded by FAU pitchers.
Up Next: FAU goes for the sweep of Monmouth on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
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